Tevin Coleman's 307 rushing yards can't save IU in loss

Josh Hicks #8 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights runs between T.J. Simmons #2 and Michael Hunter #17 of the Indiana Hoosiers in the first quarter at High Point Solutions Stadium on November 15, 2014 in Piscataway, N.J.
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Tevin Coleman was great. Zander Diamont was better … much better. Defense was good ... for a while.

Evaluation of Indiana University football after Saturday's 45-23 loss to Rutgers at Piscataway, N.J., depends on whether you see the glass half-empty or half-full. Yet considering college football is a bottom-line enterprise, the Hoosiers continue to come up bone dry in a five-game losing streak.

Even on a day when Coleman rushed for 307 yards — second in IU history to Anthony Thompson's 377 at Wisconsin in 1989 — he continued to be obscured in his own conference. Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon set an NCAA record with 408 against Nebraska.

Kevin Wilson, with a 5-25 Big Ten record, appears headed for a second winless conference season in four years. He spoke like the half-full type, going so far as to compare what Indiana is enduring to what Michigan State did. At the Hoosiers' best, I'm not sure they ever matched the Spartans' worst.

"The young guys really struggled, but their kids grew through that," Wilson said via statements distributed by Rutgers. "Our guys have to go through that. We told them, 'We are going to keep coming at you. You are talented. You just have to mature and grow through this.'<TH>"

Wilson was speaking specifically about dropped passes, a failure that harmed Diamont's statistics in what was otherwise a crisp performance by the freshman quarterback. He was 15-of-31 passing for 179 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

In his first three games combined, Diamont passed for 103 yards. His 28-yard touchdown pass to Shane Wynn to begin the fourth quarter was Indiana's first TD pass in 18 quarters. Wynn said Diamont "played a great game," putting the ball where it needed to be.

Diamont conceded the drops were frustrating but added:

"I'm in no position to be criticizing anybody for some dropped balls, based on the last few weeks and how I've played. We have a lot of young guys out there, and nobody knows what it's like to play in front of 60,000 people on TV when you're an 18- or 19-year-old kid. I feel for those guys because I'm in the same position."

The Hoosiers again were missing senior Nick Stoner, who re-aggravated a hamstring injury. That left Wynn to be joined in the receiving corps by three freshmen and little-used Andre Booker and Ricky Jones.

For all those shortcomings, Indiana played stout defense in the first half. Coleman burst through an opening on the right side for one of his trademark breakaways, sprinting for a 67-yard touchdown to give Indiana a 13-10 lead with 18 seconds left in the half.

He did so again to begin the second half, running 68 yards to the Rutgers 5. But the Scarlet Knights held, and Griffin Oakes' third field goal expanded the margin to 16-10.

Wilson and Coleman both pointed to that Rutgers stop as a turning point because Indiana could have seized a 10-point lead.

Rutgers followed with three touchdowns in a span of eight minutes on the clock, going ahead 31-16. The last of those scores followed a botched fake in which punter Erich Toth bobbled the ball and fumbled it away to Rutgers, which recovered at the Indiana 9. An earlier Wilson gamble — starting the game with an onside kick — led to an Indiana field goal.

"Again, we thought at that point in time, just like the onside kick, we were trying to do some stuff to make some plays to keep holding service and stay with those guys," Wilson said.

Another turning point came when Indiana regained possession at its own 41 early in the fourth quarter, trailing 31-23. Freshman tight end Jordan Fuchs got into a shoving match with a Rutgers player, resulting in a personal foul that killed the drive. Soon thereafter, quarterback Gary Nova exploited an Indiana blitz and tossed his second touchdown pass to Leonte Carroo from 56 yards.

It was 38-23. That settled it.

After more than six quarters of inspired defense, the Hoosiers allowed five second-half touchdowns. And let it not be said freshmen must flounder. Two freshmen — Josh Hicks (20 for 114 yards) and Robert Martin (11 for 83) — combined for four Rutgers touchdowns and 197 yards rushing.

Rutgers (6-4, 2-4) became bowl eligible for the ninth time in 10 years. Indiana (3-7, 0-6) has been to a bowl once in 20 years.

If the Hoosiers can't win when Coleman runs for 307 yards, when Diamont performs like an authentic Big Ten quarterback, when they lead 16-10 on the road ... well, they aren't going to win.